Richard Gephardt: “this House has precious little time left in this session. Today we finished important business on Iraq. We worked across…”

“this House has precious little time left in this session. Today we finished important business on Iraq. We worked across the aisle with Republican colleagues to come up with that resolution. We could use that same type of framework to get more of the Nation's business done if the Republican leadership would put aside their my-way-or-the-highway attitude and reach across the aisle to work out a bipartisan economic plan for our country. We should not be passing 7-day CRs when the Republican leadership has no plan to actually complete the Nation's business when people are looking to us for leadership. I will vote against this continuing resolution. Since we returned from our August recess, we have done nothing, practically nothing of substance aside from the Iraq resolution. We have had nothing on the schedule. We have spent all of our time, the people's time, on meaningless 'Non-Sense of the House' resolutions urging the Senate to pass tax cuts for the wealthy beginning in 2011. Their resolutions have no legal force. Their so-called economic program would affect no one until 2011. What are people going to do between now and 2011? People are suffering today. They are receiving their 401(k) statements this week. The stock market is falling like a lead balloon. People are out of work, and they are giving up hope of finding new jobs. This economy is in the tank and some people have been put out of work through no fault of their own and many cannot find a new job.”